crab

crab,

crustaceancrustacean, primarily aquatic arthropod of the subphylum Crustacea. Most of the 44,000 crustacean species are marine, but there are many freshwater forms. The few groups that inhabit terrestrial areas have not been particularly successful in an evolutionary sense; most require.....Click the link for more information. with an enlarged cephalothorax covered by a broad, flat shell called the carapace. Extending from the cephalothorax are the various appendages: five pairs of legs, the first pair bearing claws (or pincers), are attached at the sides; two eyes on short, movable stalks, two short antennules, two longer antennae, and numerous mouthparts are attached at the front; at the rear the tiny abdomen is bent under the cephalothorax.

The abdomen of the female, wider and flatter than that of the male, forms an apronlike structure that continuously circulates water over the eggs that are carried on her underside. The free-swimming larva, which hatches in about two weeks, is easily recognized by the large spine that projects from its carapace. After several molts, the young crab settles to the bottom and begins to take on adult features.

Crabs are chiefly marine, but some are terrestrial for long periods. They are omnivorous; some are scavengers and others predators. Although they are capable of locomotion in all directions, crabs tend to move sideways; swimming crabs have the last pair of legs flattened to form paddles.

The blue crabblue crab,common name for a crustacean, Callinectes sapidus, found on the S Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. The blue crab is a member of the family of swimming crabs known as the Portunidae and is characterized by a broad, semitriangular carapace (shell).....Click the link for more information. of the Atlantic coast of the United States is a swimming crab that is much used for food. It is marketed as a soft-shelled crab after it has molted and before the new shell has hardened. Females of the oyster and mussel crabs live inside the shells of bivalve mollusks. Often seen scurrying about near their burrows in muddy banks are the fiddler crabsfiddler crab,common name for small, amphibious crabs belonging to the genus Uca. They are characterized by a rectangular carapace (shell) and a narrow abdomen, which is flexed under the body......Click the link for more information., the males of which have one much enlarged claw used in defense and in courtship rituals. The sand, or ghost, crabs build burrows high up on the sand into which they seem to vanish. The sluggish, long-legged spider crabs are often disguised by the algae, barnacles, and sea anemones that attach themselves to the carapace. The giant spider crab of Japan, the largest living arthropod, has legs about 4 ft (22 cm) long and a carapace over 1 ft (30 cm) wide. The closely related kelp crabs are found in kelp beds in the Pacific. The name king crab is applied to the largest (up to 20 lb/9 kg) of the edible crabs, species native to the N Pacific and marketed frozen, canned, or fresh; the red king crab has been introduced into the Barents Sea.

True crabs are classified in the phylum ArthropodaArthropoda[Gr.,=jointed feet], largest and most diverse animal phylum. The arthropods include crustaceans, insects, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions, and the extinct trilobites......Click the link for more information., subphylum Crustacea, order Decapoda. Although the many species of true crabs are similar in appearance, DNA evidence suggests that that similarity is a result of convergent evolution among several groups of sometines only distantly related decapods. The horseshoe crabhorseshoe crab,large, primitive marine arthropod of the family Limulidae, related to the spider and scorpion and sometimes called a king crab (a name also used for the largest of the edible true crabs)......Click the link for more information., which also is called by the name king crab, is not a crustacean, and the hermit crabhermit crab,a crustacean distinguished from true crabs by its long, soft, spirally coiled abdomen terminating in an asymmetrically hooked tail. Most hermit crabs protect this vulnerable portion of their bodies by occupying the empty shells of periwinkles, whelks, and other.....Click the link for more information., although a crustacean, is not a true crab.

Bibliography

See J. S. Weis, Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs (2012).

Crab

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

Crab is a popular name for the sign Cancer. Its association with moody Cancer is the ultimate source of the term “crabby.”

What does it mean when you dream about a crab?

A symbol of both the sea and the sky, the crab can stand for physical nourishment from the ocean and intellectual nourishment from the interpretation of the horoscope. Claws are tenacious and clinging, which can indicate something about the relationships the dreamer is in, especially with the opposite sex.

crab

[krab]

(invertebrate zoology)

The common name for a number of crustaceans in the order Decapoda having five pairs of walking legs, with the first pair modified as chelipeds.

The common name for members of the Merostoma.

(navigation)

To drift sideways or to leeward, as a ship.

crab

1. A short shaft or axle, mounted on a frame, having squared ends to receive hand cranks; used to wind up a rope carrying a load.

crab

Port engine failed & aircraft tending to yaw to the port direction. The aircraft would crab if the wings are maintained level.

Crab of photograph.

i. To fly with wings level on a heading that will correct for drift from crosswinds.ii. To fly with wings level but apply significant rudder to offset the effects of crosswind.iii. In parachuting, it means facing one's chute on a diagonal to the wind or crosswind, similar to tacking in a sailboat.iv. To fly with wings level but with significant yaw due to asymmetric power or thrust.v. In aerial photography, the angle formed between the flight line and the edges of the photographs in the direction of flight. At the instant of exposure, if the focal plane of the camera is not square with the direction of flight, it causes crab of the photograph. In this process, there is some reduction of overlap as shown in the illustration.vi. The rotation of an aircraft about its vertical axis, so as to cause the aircraft's longitudinal axis to deviate from the flight line.

crab

crab

1. any chiefly marine decapod crustacean of the genus Cancer and related genera (section Brachyura), having a broad flattened carapace covering the cephalothorax, beneath which is folded the abdomen. The first pair of limbs are modified as pincers

2. any of various similar or related arthropods, such as the hermit crab and horseshoe crab

7.catch a crabRowing to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards

Crab

(dreams)

At first glance a crab seems to be a very negative dream symbol. It could represent a “crabby” or unpleasant personality. The claws could be symbolic of a clinging and hurtful person, or a side of your own personality. There may be too much dependence, clinging and forcefulness in your life. The crab may also symbolize your inability to effectively move forward and address your own difficulties. (Remember the crab often moves sideways or backwards.) Some folklore interpretations say that the crab is an omen of poor health. However, there is a more positive interpretation for the crab in your dream. In some areas of metaphysics, the crab is a representative of the sea and the sky. It represents physical nourishment that can be obtained from the sea and also intellectual nourishment. As with all water dwelling animals, the crab could also represent something in the unconscious and the emotions.

One lady lent her some scores of Carlyle letters that have never been published, and crabbed was the writing, but though my mother liked to have our letters read aloud to her, she read every one of these herself, and would quote from them in her talk.

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